There are plenty of supports that are specific to Cork. There are possible similar supports elsewhere that I'd be less aware of. I often wonder if Cork is actually the real capital and if there are more "in the bubble" here...
hhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm
Breastfeeding Supports
Breastfeeding Mammies in Cork is an open group on Facebook with over 350 members at the moment. I'm not sure of the current birth rate in cork but that seems like a lot of people breastfeeding to me. Because it is an open group, a lot of people read the chat there without being members of the group too. I suppose that is off-putting to some....you wouldn't want to post about anything too private as it all shows up for friends to see. On the up-side it is raising awareness and God only knows how many found the group as a direct result of it being open like that and showing up on a friends feed. It's normalizing breastfeeding. Every feed counts, so every little bit this group helps the better. It's a fantastic resource and has connected so many Bfing mammies on facebook, letting them know of real life meet ups and regular events. Knowing a few people from facebook who will be there can make a difference to those who might be a bit shy otherwise.
La Leche League Cork hold two regular meetings. The Douglas meeting, on the fourth Friday of the month, follows the traditional LLL structure: chat on one of 4 regular topics, questions and more chat and then some tea/coffee and goodies. Another meeting is held on the third Saturday of the month -aimed at those BFing beyond infancy and ideal for anyone who is back to work or can't make the Friday meeting for other reasons. A leader (or more than one if you're lucky) attends these meetings and can help with any problems as well as leading the discussion. They have a facebook page too:
https://www.facebook.com/LaLecheLeagueCorkAndMidleton
Cuidiú's Coffee mornings do not follow a particular structure and are usually held in someone's home. Times, days and locations vary all the time. They are not only for those who are breastfeeding though more often than not breastfeeding counselor will be in attendance to help with any issues. They have a facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CuidiuCork/
Babywearing
There is a special group for
Babywearing Ireland -Cork Mamas with over 250 members these days. I suspect that the community has grown so well in Cork because we were lucky enough to have Tania from
Babywearing Ireland in Cork for a number of years. Tania holds the national Sling Library and so, having Tania at a sling meet means having access to one of everything -slings that can be borrowed on the spot. Tania is a Certified Babywearing Consultant so she's very, very knowledgeable about all the slings, wraps and especially safety points and teaching points for those learning to wrap or . We had a good giggle when someone asked if there was "anyone like Tania" in her locality -we all agreed that there is only the one! Tania is a little bit more special than that imo. I'm not sure how she does it, but she has a bit of a talent for connecting people at these sling meets. Everyone feels welcome. I think part of the secret to her success is that she doesn't wait around to see what suits everyone, she fires ahead with her sling meet (or a coffee morning as she's also involved with Cuidiú -a BFC!!). This means that meets are as frequent as possible. Tania moved to Kerry over the summer. She'll do great things there too, I'm sure but we'll miss her in Cork. The
Wearing a Hug Fair will be on in Dublin this year (October 2013) and as it was a great success for Cork 2012, I'm sure it's well worth the trip from Cork this time!!
Cloth Nappy Library -Cork
There is more to Cork than Breastfeeding and Babywearing. There is of course a branch of the Cloth Nappy Library here which I will mention if you can excuse the self promotion. In my defense it's a nonprofit organisation. We have a
Cork Nappy Chat Group on facebook to facilitate cork meet ups and local sales too. It's nice to see a few familiar profile pictures (I would say faces, but sometimes they are not faces at all!) from the other groups too. Up Cork!! We've over 50 members at the moment! We hope that nappy loans will be possible in person from this branch in the very near future.
La Leche League Cork hold two regular meetings. The Douglas meeting, on the fourth Friday of the month, follows the traditional LLL structure: chat on one of 4 regular topics, questions and more chat and then some tea/coffee and goodies. Another meeting is held on the third Saturday of the month -aimed at those BFing beyond infancy and ideal for anyone who is back to work or can't make the Friday meeting for other reasons. A leader (or more than one if you're lucky) attends these meetings and can help with any problems as well as leading the discussion. They have a facebook page too: https://www.facebook.com/LaLecheLeagueCorkAndMidleton
There is more to Cork than Breastfeeding and Babywearing. There is of course a branch of the Cloth Nappy Library here which I will mention if you can excuse the self promotion. In my defense it's a nonprofit organisation. We have a Cork Nappy Chat Group on facebook to facilitate cork meet ups and local sales too. It's nice to see a few familiar profile pictures (I would say faces, but sometimes they are not faces at all!) from the other groups too. Up Cork!! We've over 50 members at the moment! We hope that nappy loans will be possible in person from this branch in the very near future.
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